Alone Together
by Circuit's Dead
Summary: After the world's greatest villains take over the World of Trophies, it's up to three unlikely heroes to save the universe. Join a drunk doctor, a tiny but determined astronaut, and a ninja frog as they seize their destiny... Or at least firmly grasp it.
1. That's Just The Way It Is

**Rated T for character deaths, language, minor violence, drug references, alcohol consumption, and other themes I will add later.**

**This was totally not planned with _The Paper Snowflake_. This came first, but was published later.**

**Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction, so it's pretty obvious I own nothing.**

* * *

_It is time to strike._

_**Yes, yes it is. They will know fear.**_

_Yes, yes they will. At the prime of their lives, the Smashers will be defeated, and we shall be victorious!_

_**Yes, yes we shall.**_

_And for once, there is no one who can stop us..._

* * *

_Chapter One: That's Just The Way It Is_

* * *

Dr. Mario finished his flask of whiskey and started the delicate surgery.

He drank like most people: to forget. Mainly, to forget that he was nothing but a clone of Mario. He was a stupid, worthless copy of the iconic hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. It was all Master Hand's fault too. The giant hand needed a couple more men for Smash Brothers and who better to add than an exact clone of Mario. He would never admit it out loud. He was too proud. Anyone who said it aloud would soon find themselves face-down on the floor; it was the Dr. Mario guarantee. He was his own character, and no one should ever forget it.

God, he thought as he cut open the man, what the hell's was wrong with this man? Had he ever heard of a carrot?

Dr. Mario tried everything in his power to prove he wasn't Mario, even going so far as to adopt another accent. Instead of living in a pipe house, he owned an apartment. He didn't even have a sorta-girlfriend like Peach, just a flask of ale to pass the time. Instead of being a plumber, he tried other service industries, like being an air-conditioner repair man (it turned out to be something way out of his skill set and got fired the next day). Eventually, he went back to being a lousy doctor, like everybody wanted him to be. He abhorred his job with every fiber of his being. Drug people up with pills, do a surgery, drug more people up with pills, another surgery, more pills, more surgeries. It was an endless drone of a cycle.

He cringed as he moved layer after layer of fat out of the way. Seriously, did he realize how hard it was to operate on him? Lose some weight.

"Says you." The hypocrite inside him said.

It was hard to separate himself from Mario. Everyone knew the plumber, and as soon as they saw his twin spectators would crowd plaster around him like flies to honey and ask questions like, "are you Mario?" or "Where's Mario?" or "Mario's the greatest ever and you'll never amount to as much as he has anything in life."

Ugh. He just wanted to be alone at this point, away from the people that pestered him and, most importantly, away from the plumber.

He was pulled from his musings briefly to make another incision in the patient… there was the tumor… best to be careful.

When the Brawl Era started, Dr. Mario was crushed. They had moved the mansion—the same mansion he had spent countless hours working on—to a new site, making all the hardships he had endured worth nothing. Master Hand, the same person who had created him from nothing, had fired him. He had fired the good-for-nothing clone. That's when Dr. Mario withered away into the empty husk that he was now and his newfangled hatred of Mario began to bloom. Of course Mario got to stay. Why wouldn't he? The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom was far more important than some lousy old doctor. He had a brother, friends, a princess... all he had was the very thing he didn't want to do: medicine.

He looked up at the clock ticking on the wall. "Just need to seal it up, and I can go home."

The doctor had hit rock bottom. He had nothing. Since Master Hand had created him, he had nothing to go back to. For weeks, he lived on the street, surviving on what he could get. Finally, a doctor position had opened at the hospital. It wasn't glamorous. They had him doing simple, useless thing like this surgery. Humph. At least it payed the bills.

He took up drinking, an easy escape to the misery he had to endure, making him poorer than a Toad selling mushrooms. He barely saw the other Melee castaways, so the doctor had become friendless. The worst part was that there was no explanation. Just a pink slip. The perfect world Master Hand had promised him had collapsed on him. He was broken.

"And... done."

"Barbara!" He called to his assistant. "We're done here. I'm heading home and taking the rest of the night off."

"Shouldn't you be supervising his recovery?" Barbara poked her head in. Her dusty brown hair and ill-fitting nurse's outfit always bothered Dr. Mario, but at least she did her job decently. The doctor always wondered why she still worked here. They had met a while back when he had first hit rock bottom, and for one reason or another she decided to stick around.

"Does it look like I care about this lowlife?" He grumbled. Louder, he said "I trust you."

"Have a nice night then, sir!" She called after him as he slammed the doors of the surgery ward shut. Quieter, she added, "You complete and total asshole."

* * *

Dr. Mario arrived at home. After throwing his keys into the key bowl on the small table he kept near the door, he immediately face-planted onto his couch. His home wasn't any better than work. No matter what he did, he always found misery in everything he was doing. He hated his crap shack of a house, and the reek of trash that accompanied it. He hated his neighbors, especially that damned Al—

**DING DONG!**

"I hate you too, universe." Dr. Mario grumbled, getting up to open the door. Standing on the other side, as if on cue, was his all too cheery neighbor, Alph, who could find happiness in sweeping the dirt off of a dirt road.

Smiling, Alph greeted him. "Today's the day! Are you excited?"

"No, go away." Dr. Mario deadpanned, trying to slam the door in his face.

"Aren't you even a little bit excited?" He asked, grabbing the door before it closed. Swinging it back open, he entered the doctor's apartment.

"Invite yourself in, why don't ya?" Dr. Mario sighed. Louder, he said, "No clue what you're talking about. You're going to have to be more specific."

"Why, it's the fourth Smash Commencement Banquet!" said Alph, taking a seat on the couch. "Just think: all of the Smashers gathered in one room, celebrating a new era of Smash! Can't you just see it now?"

"You know, they do that regularly when they live together." Dr. Mario snorted as he plopped right next to the Koppaite. Opening an old box of mushroom pizza, he took a bite as he spoke. "Why should I care?"

"Aren't you going?" Alph asked, surprised. "You're invited."

"I repeat my previous statement." Dr. Mario deadpanned. "I'm not going to some stupid dinner and I'm not becoming a Smasher again. My days of fighting are over."

"Oh, come on!" Alph protested. "Imagine the fun we'll have! We'll get to see Captain Olimar, Ness, Link, even Mario!"

Dr. Mario's face immediately grew red. "Exactly why I don't want to go."

"You know you'll have a great time. I can just tell!" Alph said, trying to cheer him up. "You have the best jokes... although most of them are rude and aimed at me... but that has to amount to something!"

"It's my one night off, Alph." Dr. Mario lied. "And I don't plan to spend it at some stupid banquet." Exasperated, he added, "Please go away."

"I'll make you a bet," countered Alph, leaning towards the doctor, "that you'll be smiling bigger than Bowser watching an execution if you go. In my opinion, you're just acting this way because you're afraid you won't be accepted back into Smash."

"Want to know the difference between this pizza and you opinion?" said Dr. Mario, holding up the slice. "I asked for this pizza."

"How about this: if you do come and hate it, I won't bug you for a whole year." Alph counter-proposed. "However, if you come and enjoy it... well, I won't ask you to do anything more for me. Deal?"

"Hmm..." Dr. Mario was losing his nerve. "Nope, stopped caring."

"Okay..." Alph let out a dramatic sigh. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, shut up."

"Are you positive?"

"I already said NO."

"Come on, everyone else is going."

"Do I look like a freaking lemur to you?"

"What if I-"

"SHUT UP!"

"How about-"

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GET OUT OF MY APARTMENT!" Dr. Mario screamed, finally snapping. "I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO THAT _HELLHOLE_ FILLED WITH _ASSHOLES_, AND ESPECIALLY NOT WITH THE LIKES OF _YOU_!" Alph jumped, frightened at the doctor's outrageous demeanor.

"Oh... okay." Alph looked down, which made Dr. Mario feel oddly sympathetic."I... I understand. I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll go now." He got up and started heading toward the door.

"Wait..." Dr. Mario called after him. "I'm... you at least need someone to get you there, and your car's in the shop. Let me at least drive you there."

Alph turned around and smiled. Half-jokingly, he added, "Are you sure? I thought you didn't want to be seen with the likes of me."

"It's just a car ride." Dr. Mario retorted. "It's not like you'll actually be seen with me."

"I'll get my Pikmin and then we can go. Thanks Doc!" With that, Alph ran out the door.

The doctor paused for a second, before grabbing his keys. A strange feeling came over him like a wave of cold water. Why did he feel like that encounter was planned? It wasn't like Alph didn't know how irritable he was, and it wasn't like they were friends… why did he come over to invite him out of the blue like that? Dr. Mario shook his head, wondering if he should be regretting his decision to take Alph. Like a whirlwind, he put on his finest lab coat and shoes and dashed after his compatriot.

* * *

Through the first hall on the right of the newly-rebuilt Smash Mansion, behind the two double doors that guarded it, Master Hand nervously floated/paced around his office, constantly looking at the grandfather clock near the door. The banquet was due to start any minute now, and he still hadn't prepared his speech. He had spent the past few nights writing and rewriting that cursed monologue, but so far he had nothing. He just hoped that he could just improvise something by the time the toast rolled around.

All of a sudden, Crazy Hand burst through the doors (quite literally) and rushed towards his brother. "Bad news!" He screamed. "We're out of Fun Dip!"

"Crazy," Master Hand sighed, putting down his speech notes, "we've never had Fun Dip to begin with."

"Oh. Yeah, I knew that." Crazy Hand banged himself against the wall, shaking Master Hand's paintings. "Silly me. I'll make sure that the Primids have everything in order though. I brought Cranberry Sprite!" With that, he ran back out of the room.

Master Hand curled his fingers in mild irritation."One day I'll—" but he was interrupted by a loud snap coming from the other room.

"Sorry!" He heard Crazy scream. "How was I supposed to know you couldn't play Twister ROB?"

"I'M A ROBOT! HOW THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO BEND LIKE THAT?!" ROB yelled back.

After hearing the yells, he decided it was best not to look beyond the door. "One day I'll understand my brother." Master Hand mused. "But tonight's not that night."

"Sir." A Primid awkwardly entered the room through a recently formed giant hand-shaped hole. The Primid paused to admire the new dent. "Freakish red weather is reportedly heading this way. Should we cancel the banquet?"

"Red?" Master Hand repeated. "That's weird. I've never heard of red weather in the World of Trophies. Or, actually, in my case, I never added red weather into the World of Trophies."

"The storm has already covered up about a third of the continent, and it's getting bigger by the minute." The Primid informed him. "We've lost all contact with anyone inside."

"How long has it been there?" Master Hand asked.

"About three hours. It just popped up out of nowhere." The Primid was oddly calm about the news. Primids weren't known to be overly emotive beings, and Master Hand was well aware of this, but the calm, matter of fact way the Primid spoke sent a shiver up his wrist.

Master Hand paused to think. "That's some freak storm... This could be a problem." He walked over to his desk and pressed a button.

"Hello?" The voice on the other line said.

"Hey, it's Master Hand. Patch me through to HAL Labs. It appears as though we might have a situation."

* * *

As Dr. Mario, Alph, and his four Pikmin rode towards the manor, Dr. Mario combed his hair in the rearview mirror, constantly looking back and forth between his hair and the road. Alph gripped the safety handle for dear life as the tires screeched down the asphalt road.

"Could you slow down?" Alph screamed, as they barely avoided crashing into another car on the opposite side of the road.

"Sorry!" Dr. Mario slammed on the brakes, eventually settling on a steady cruising speed. One of Alph's Pikmin flew forward, hitting the front windshield. Alph sighed as it turned into a ghost.

"I just want to look my best." Dr. Mario said as he quickly checked his teeth.

"I thought you weren't going to the banquet." Alph joked.

"Eh, I'm halfway there." Dr. Mario shrugged, trying to play it off. "Anyway, I'm hungry, and let's face it, I could use the free shower. Just don't let anyone near me." His face darkened as he hunched over the wheel.

"Cool." Alph smiled. He sat there, looking at the doctor in silence with a huge smirk stretched across his face.

"What- what?" Dr. Mario's curiosity had given in. "Stop that."

"See! You are afraid of not being accepted back in!" Alph told him.

"What gives you-" Dr. Mario shook his head. "You know what, whatever. I'm just there for the free food, and then I'm out. Got it?"

"Sure." Alph leaned back in his seat and kicked his feet up on the dashboard.

"Stop- stop that!" Dr. Mario growled, but he couldn't push back the half smile forming on his face.

* * *

"Look, I'm just saying, this storm could be a really huge problem." Master Hand spoke on the phone. "We should hold off the dinner off for another night, to wait for it to pass."

"Listen here, Hand." The voice at the other end sneered. "You're indoors, so it doesn't even matter! Nintendo's riding on Super Smash Bros. to pull through for the Wii U, and we can't hold off the game for another day. Either you host the Commencement Ceremony, or Crazy Hand takes over. Got it?"

"... Got it." Master Hand reluctantly hung up the phone. Angry, he added, "Nintendo bureaucrats."

He paused. Memories flooded back of a time where Nintendo never tried pulling stunts like this. Back in the 1980s, Master Hand wasn't a tool; he was a partner. If Nintendo ever needed a new idea or character, Master Hand just snapped his fingers and BAM! they would appear. Mario, Link, Pikachu, Samus... All of them just like that. He only had one rule: never, ever tell them that they were in a video game.

Then in 1999, he had a vision. What if everyone lived in the same universe? What if everyone was united, like brothers and sisters? Master Hand, without the approval of Nintendo (then again, he didn't need their approval back in those days), snapped his fingers and created what he liked to call the Nintendo Universe. There, he created the World of Trophies, a place where all of his creations could meet and train. He started small, only moving a few worlds at a time. When Nintendo tapped into that gold mine, it was an instant success. Soon people from all over the worlds came to the "perfect world," starting cities, such as Smash City or Shore City, and a whole economy of "Smash Coins." In his excitement, he moved more worlds over, even adding villains to the smash mix. The proudest moment of his life was when back in the Melee Era all of the Smashers had built themselves a Mansion to live together, unbeknownst to him. He was so stricken with pride that he nearly passed out at the sight, but pure joy kept him afloat.

"Today's the day," Master Hand had said, his voice cracking in his happiness. "That I welcome you to the happiest days of your lives. Congratulations."

If he was Master Face, he would have cried.

Then Nintendo grew greedy. More worlds, they had demanded, more characters, a new mansion! Bigger, grander, better! Master Hand had to move the site of the Mansion over to the very same cliff where they had defeated Tabuu due to lack of space. Money was heard more than enjoyable or playable. Master Hand was now a tool, creating whatever terrible idea they could come up with. Now they wouldn't even listen to him when he warned them of impending evil. He sighed, looking back at his speech.

Of course he could create whole universes, he mused, but one stupid speech is one too much.

"What are we to do, Master?" The Primid from earlier entered the room, interrupting his thoughts.

"I guess we just have to wait it out." Master Hand sighed, happy to procrastinate. "Start letting the Smashers in. The banquet will go just as scheduled."

The Primid was about to say something else, but its words were drowned out by Crazy Hand screaming. "How was I supposed to know water wouldn't stop your bleeding, R.O.B?!"

"BECAUSE I'M— *buzzt* —A FREAKING ROBOT! I DON'T— *buzzt* —BLEED!"

"And please," Master Hand groaned, "get my brother out of here before he destroys R.O.B."

* * *

"Alright guys, come on out!"

Five Pokéballs were tossed up in the air, shining a bright blue beam down as the Pokémon inside materialized on the ground. Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Lucario, Charizard, and Greninja looked at their new surroundings. Blue was sitting in his car, holding five Pokéballs in one hand, like a boss.

"Good news guys," Blue said. "You're here. The bad news is that I just lost five Pokémon. Smell ya later!" With that, he drove off.

"What a jerk..." Pikachu mumbled.

"Where are we?" Charizard asked, looking around.

"The Smash Mansion lawn." Jigglypuff told him. "It looks different from last time."

"I heard they remodeled it." Lucario nodded. "They had added new dorms and individual bathrooms."

"Thank Arceus." Jigglypuff stretched. "I'm tired of sharing a public bathroom with Donkey Kong. Pokémon and animals have totally separate ideas regarding bathroom etiquette."

"Should we start walking towards the manor?" Lucario gestured. The others nodded in agreement and started heading down the stone path.

As they quietly walked down the path, Greninja tried starting a conversation. "How long will it be—"

"Wait a second!" Lucario stopped. "I forgot to give you all your universal translators."

"A what?" Pikachu was staring off into space.

"The thing that allows you to speak to anyone, remember?" Charizard smacked the mouse in the back, snapping Pikachu back into reality.

"Oh, yeah, thanks." Pikachu grumbled, taking one from Lucario's palm. Once everyone had placed it into their ears, they continued down the path.

Greninja tried talking again. "I have been working on my stealth tactics regarding the other Smashers. I—"

"Hey, why did Blue take us here?" Jigglypuff said, interrupting him. "Where's Red?"

"He sorta went insane." Pikachu told her. "He keeps in running into walls and talking to a Helix Fossil. Blue's taking over guardian duties until Red gets some help."

"That couldn't happen sooner." Charizard added. "Blue's a jerk."

"He's gotten better!" Jigglypuff said, trying to defend him.

"Yeah, sure." Charizard snorted. "Back when I was a Charmander, Blue would throw rocks purposely in battle just to screw me up when I was fighting his Pokémon. Now he just screams really loudly and flaps his arms like an Aerodactyl."

Greninja looked curious. "How did you manage to overcome such a difficult opp—"

"Woah, check those guys out!" Pikachu pointed ahead of them. Dr. Mario was slouched over, grumbling as he listened to Alph chat away.

"Dr. Mario's back?" Jigglypuff chuckled. "Wasn't he the one who-"

"-broke into a liquor store and got tasered? Yeah!" Pikachu broke out laughing. "It's all over Smash Tube!"

"Look at that kid." Charizard noted, pointing to Alph. "Isn't he Olimar's tag partner?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jigglypuff asked.

"You see," Pikachu smiled, clearly joking around, "Olimar is so short that when he has to reach the bottom shelf of the library, he calls in his tag partner to give him a boost."

"Says the tiny mouse!" Charizard snorted. "That's a lie. You remember that Olimar has a job, right?"

Jigglypuff and Greninja nodded, both clearly fascinated with the conversation.

"Well," Charizard explained, " a couple of months ago, towards the end of Brawl, Master Hand got an e-mail saying that if Olimar didn't come into work at least for a day a week Hocotate Freights would stop sending money to his family. So from now on, everytime Olimar's called into work Alph takes his place until he can get back."

"*Cough* Clone character! *Cough*" Pikachu "coughed". Then he smiled cheaply. "Oh, I'm sorry. I coughed before I could say clone character."

Charizard shot him a glance, but sighed. "Yeah, he's the literal definition."

"Guy can't even get in the legitimate way." Pikachu shook his head. "How unoriginal. Who's next, Dr. Mario? Oh wait, that's right, he's up ahead!"

Greninja tried speaking again. "Master Koga always said never underestimate your—"

"Drop it, my friend." Lucario pulled Greninja aside, waiting for the others to walk ahead. "Logic doesn't work with these people." Greninja tried speaking, but the Aura Pokémon cut him off. "We know the difference between wrong and right, but they fail to notice their own follies. Just let them have the night and I will personally chastise them tomorrow."

"Okay." Greninja dropped it. "So anyway, I have heard you are an excellent fighter. How do you—"

But Lucario was gone, moving on ahead to talk with the others. The Pokémon sighed and sadly trudged behind.

* * *

"I can't wait to meet Captain Olimar!" Alph told Dr. Mario.

"I've heard you say that about a million times," Dr. Mario snapped. "I could have taped a voice recorder to a Koopa and couldn't have told the difference between you two."

"Do you even know why, though?" Alph smiled.

"You've been telling me why since we got in the car." Dr. Mario rolled his eyes. "He's a hero, blah blah blah, he found P— er, whatever the planet with Pikmin is called—, blah blah blah, he's from a different planet than me— I really don't care."

"Aren't you just a little excited to see Mari—"

"Hey, we're here." Dr. Mario took three very large leaps to the front steps of the Mansion. He knocked on the doors as quickly as he could, hoping for a response. As Alph climbed the remainder of the steps, the doors swung open as a Primid greeted them.

"Invitation please." It said, looking at the doctor.

Dr. Mario rolled his eyes and quickly patted himself."Oh what a shame." He said flatly. "I have lost my invitation. Isn't there a guest list?"

The Primid paused, staring him down. "One moment please." He grabbed the clipboard on the stand near the door. "Ah, Dr. Mario, you're here. Come this way please. Feel free to indulge in the refreshments as you wait for the banquet to commence."

"Don't mind if I do." Dr. Mario strolled inside, leaving Alph behind. As Alph got to the top of the stairs, the Primid shook his head.

"What a complete and total asshole." It said to Alph in disgust.

"Tell Master Hand I'm working on it." Alph promised. "I'll get him to change."

.o0O0o.

The banquet hall was rarely used, except for special occasions. The last time the doctor had been inside the Smash Banquet Hall was the Melee farewell banquet, and he had only shown up to retrieve his watch from Luigi, and before that... well, he couldn't even remember. Now he was in a different building in another dining hall. The worst part was that new dining hall looked exactly like the older one, which made the memories sting even more. Huge wooden beams aligned themselves on the wall, holding the ceiling firmly up. The long wooden table sat in the center of the room, stretching across the smooth granite floor. The walls were strung with paintings of the Smashers in overly-dramatic poses. Dr. Mario snorted as he saw the painting of himself holding two pills in his hands. Those were the days...

The truth was, his one true love unexpectedly turned out to be smashing. Back in the Melee Era, he loved the sheer joy of harsh training, the friends he had made, and the mansion they had built. It was beautiful. He had poured his heart and soul into the creation of the foundation of Smash. He had spent hour after hour making sure there was enough of everything. He had taken great care in making sure there were enough dorms for the future generations of Smashers, to even stocking the Smash Pantry with the best food for optimum fighting performance (he was a doctor after all) to even the particular tiling the bathrooms (heated tiles of course).

Dr. Mario had never been happier. But then again, that was nearly seven years ago.

Looking around, the doctor noticed that some people were already splitting off into groups. Star Fox was engaged in a heated conversation with Robin and Marth, and the group would occasionally shout at each other. In another corner, Kirby and King Dedede were already in a competition, trying to suck down as much of Captain Falcon's famous "Falcon Punch" punch as possible. Wario, Ganondorf, and Bowser were cackling away as Yoshi ran around in a circle, trying to avoid a hoard of the Cucoo. It was pretty much so just a normal evening.

Then Dr. Mario saw her, his other one true love. Rosalina was talking to Palutena not far from him, looking as beautiful as ever. You see, Dr. Mario had a huge crush on Rosalina. They had met only once: while he was walking home from a bar. In a desperate attempt to impress her, the daringly drunk doctor had broken into a liquor store to bring her some fancy wine. A moment later, he was on the floor being tased by a police officer, who just happened to be standing next door. Some punk kids had recorded it, and like most things on the Internet, it refused to disappear. Dr. Mario hadn't seen Rosalina since.

Now there she was, flipping her hair as she talked to the goddess. This time, Dr. Mario knew he couldn't screw up. Gathering up all of his courage, he took a deep breath as he walked over. His palms were sweating, and his heart raced faster and faster. Just as he opened his mouth, he heard another familiar, irritating voice.

"Hey there-a Rosalina!"

Dr. Mario stopped dead in his tracks as Mario went up to her. "We're going to-a sit near Master-a Hand. Care to-a join us?"

"Sure." She smiled at him. Saying a quick couple of words to Palutena, Rosalina and Mario left hand in hand to the other side of the room. Dr. Mario could only stand there with his mouth hanging wide open as they passed right by him as if he were invisible.

"Of course she remembers Mario," the doctor told himself. "Why would she talk to a loser like me?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Greninja wasn't having much luck either.

The other Pokémon had already started reminiscing with the other Smashers, leaving the ninja alone. To be honest, Greninja wasn't much of a small talker. Master Koga had taught him to keep his personal interests out of the way and learn as much as he could about his enemies; however, no one seemed to want to talk strategy. Instead, he was being bored by talks of gossip or fashion. Nothing interesting to him, quite frankly.

Finally, he heard a conversation that looked interesting. Stroking back his tongue scarf, he walked over to Samus wearing her Zero Suit and Captain Falcon, who both were drinking some "Falcon Punch."

"Yeah, sucks to see Wolf and Snake go." Samus noted, taking a sip. "Good men."

"I still remember Snake's last words..." Captain Falcon reminisced. "'DLC bitches.'"

"Were they formidable opponents?" Greninja asked as he approached.

"Who's the frog?" Captain Falcon joked. "Slippy, I presume."

"Greninja, master assassin from the Ninjas of the Night." The Pokémon introduced himself, happy that his translator was working.

"Ninjas of the Night, huh?" Captain Falcon smirked. "Who created your group, Kermit?" Chuckling at his own terrible joke, he finished his punch with one swift gulp before crunching his cup and throwing it aside.

"Poisonous Ninja Master Koga, Indigo Plateau Elite Four member." Greninja responded, trying to keep calm.

"That lunatic?" Captain Falcon taunted. "Wasn't he one of the Elite Four members from Johto? Wait a minute, yeah, I remember him! He's that poison-type user who rarely used poison-types! Red swore he moped the floor with him in five seconds. What a whimp. If you learned from that loser, you're not worth my time." With that, he turned back to Samus.

Greninja looked infuriated. "Show some respect, you joke! At least people have actually found new Pokémon! All they find with you is outdated memes!" Captain Falcon stopped cold.

"I'm leaving before you idiots tear each other apart." Samus said, walking away.

Captain Falcon spat as he turned around. "Are you saying that Falcon Punch, probably one of the most famous things about Smash Brothers, is an outdated joke?"

"No. You did." Greninja retorted.

"That's it. Let's go." Captain Falcon held up his fists. "It's on like Donkey Kong."

"I usually refuse such a duel with people like you, but sometimes it is an evil we all must confront." Greninja prepared his Water Shrunken.

"I wasn't aware I had ordered French food, but looks like I'm having some frog legs tonight!" The bounty hunter smirked. But just as they charged at each other, Dr. Mario leaped in the way.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Dr. Mario growled. "What is this, the battlefield? Calm down, you idiots."

"What are you going to do about, clone?" Captain Falcon spat on the doctor's face. Dr. Mario turned to look at the bounty hunter, annoyance plain on his face.

"Mega Melatonin." He grumbled, sending a white pill flying at the Captain's face. The racer had no time to react as it entered his mouth. As he swallowed it, Captain Falcon immediately fell to the floor, asleep.

"That's got to be one heavy dosage to knock him out instantly." Pit noted from afar. "What do you think?" He looked down at Duck Hunt Dog who was licking punch straight from the bowl. "I forgot you were a dog for a second..." Pit said with a sigh.

Dr. Mario wiped the spit off of his face with his Super Sheet. "I remember why I hate this place." He grumbled, walking away.

"Hmm..." With nothing else to do, Greninja followed him.

.o0O0o.

The doctor loved the view from Smash Cliff. He would often go there when he wanted to think or solve a problem. Tonight, he thought that things would be different, that people might talk to him like a normal person. But alas, nothing had changed. He heard people call him a clone behind his back. He heard people talk about his "incident" at the liquor store. Worst of all, Mario had just taken the person who he liked away from him. Sighing, he took a seat on the edge of the cliff.

"I thank you for your actions." Greninja said behind him. He too took a seat on the cliff. "I detest fighting."

"I hate it too." Dr. Mario agreed. "That's why I carry around Mega Melatonin. Speaking of which, that was my last one."

"Master Koga encouraged me to try avoiding conflict when possible." Greninja said, looking at the starry night. "He told me: 'the best way to destroy an enemy is by eliminating them through stealth.'"

"I'm pretty sure that's not how that quote goes." The doctor pulled out a cigarette case. "Want one?" He offered.

"I do not smoke."

"They're candy cigarettes." Dr. Mario said, popping one in his mouth and crunching on it. "I can't stand the smell of tobacco, but I gotta look tough at the same time."

"Then I shall take one." Greninja grabbed a cigar and started chewing. "These are delightful."

"Yeah." Dr. Mario sighed. "Name's Doctor Mario by the way."

"Greninja."

"Alph." Alph said from behind. The two Smashers turned around to watch the Koppaite as he took a seat besides them.

"What happened?" Dr. Mario asked. "I thought you were going to talk to Olimar."

"He... he said he didn't want to be seen with me." Alph's lips quivered.

"Man up." Dr. Mario said unexpectedly. Greninja looked surprise at his bluntness. "The amount of times I've said that to you... you should be immune to that by now."

"He's my hero though..." Alph whimpered.

"No, he's not." The doctor began to look more confident with each word he spoke. "If he treats you like that, then he's no one's hero." Dr. Mario paused, thinking for a moment, but continued. "We all came here expecting something different to happen, something better. But nothing happened. As a matter of fact, everything turned out worse for me. But hey, at least we have each other, right?" He looked at both of them. "At least we're together."

"Here, here." Alph smiled through his self-pity.

"Agreed." Greninja nodded.

They all stared in silence for a few minutes, staring at the starry night.

"It's a beautiful night anyway," Alph said, taking in the scenery.

"Sure is." Dr. Mario sighed. "Sure is."

* * *

"Attention all Smashers!" A Metal Primid announced. "If you could make your way to your seats, Master Hand has a few words he would like to say before we start."

Master Hand made his way over to the head of the table from his seat. He was still unprepared. He was shaking, and as he began to speak, his fear vibrated in his voice.

"Welcome everybody," he said quietly.

From the other end, Dark Pit shouted, "Louder!"

"Welcome everybody!" Master Hand boomed, trying to gain more confidence. "You are here at the fourth Smash Commencement Banquet. I, obviously, am Master Hand." He paused, looking at the unconscious Captain Falcon, who had just face-planted into his soup. "Is he okay?"

"Don't worry about it." Pit said, quickly picking up the captain's head and waving his hand for him. "Everything's fine. Just— just keep going."

"..." Master Hand paused before continuing. "We are about to embark on a new journey, one that unites all of us together. Today, we celebrate the fourth generation of Smash!"

He had expected people to clap, but it was only followed by awkward silence. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Okay... I'm pleased to inform you of the new and returning characters, such as Dr. Mario and Greninja." He waved towards their seats, only to find them empty. "... Where are they?"

"They left earlier, sir." The Metal Primid whispered. "Just keep going."

"Uh..." Master Hand looked down at his speech, stuttering as he searched words. "And... Uh... Welcome?"

The room started awkwardly clapping, causing Master Hand to blush (if he could). Sighing, he took his place at the table.

"Great job bro!" Crazy patted him on the back. "I couldn't have said it better myself!"

"I know..." Master Hand mumbled, disappointed at his speech. "That could have gone worse."

"At least you got your point across." The Metal Primid said, trying to encourage him.

"It's just... it's not what I wanted..."

"Master Hand!" A Fire Primid ran up to Master Hand. "A red storm just hit the campus!"

"As expected." Master Hand sighed, happy at the distraction. "Has it damaged anything?"

"No, but..."

"But what?"

"Sir, umm..."

"Spit it out already."

"Well... I don't know how else to put this, but this letter just appeared at the doorstep." The Primid held out an envelope.

"Hmm?" Master Hand grabbed and opened it. As he read, he started to tremble even more than before.

"Bro, what's wrong?" Crazy Hand asked, trying to look at the letter.

"We need to leave now."

"But what about the party?"

"We need to go now, Crazy."

"Why are we ditching every-"

"NOW."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed! Any feedback would be appreciated. I've been planning this story since October, and I decided it was finally time to publish it. Anyways, let me know what you think, and I'll see you next time.**


	2. Welcome to 2020

**A/N: As part of a new thing that I'm doing, I'll (try to) respond to all of my reviews (unless it's really weird, like join a boy band). If there are any anonymous reviews/guest reviews, I'll post my response at the end of each chapter. If you could, just come up with a quick name for yourself so I don't have to address you as Guest #1 or something like that.**

**It has been brought to my attention that most of you have probably never played Advance Wars, so just to avoid confusion, here's some basic terminology so you don't get confused. For those of you who don't know, Advance Wars is made by the same developer as Fire Emblem. So obviously the game is awesome.**

**Advance Wars Terminology (with writer's commentary):**

**Wars World:** The world of Advance Wars. Creative budget was low.

**Orange Star, Blue Moon, Green Earth, Yellow Comet**: The four main countries of Wars World that also happen to go to war with each other. On Wars World. Go figure.

**CO**: Commanding Officer; the character you use to fight whatever battle you are fighting in, like Andy or Jake or Will. Imagine them like Smashers but useless.

**CO Power**: Each CO has a custom power that helps their troops, such as repairing them or adding extra damage. In Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, the CO system is changed to a range based thing that's super weird. As long as your units are in that range, they receive extra boosts.

**Rubinelle and Lazuria**: Rivaling countries. Although it is never said that they are on Wars World, I'm saying they are for the sake of the story.

**Cosmo Land, Omega Land**: Continents in Wars World. As if it was going to be on Popstar.

**That should be all. If there is anything else, I'll add it to this list later. Oh yeah, one last thing...**

* * *

_Chapter Two: Welcome to 2020_

* * *

"FIRE!"

The battleship blew up, sending enormous pieces of metal crashing to the ground. Cheers could be heard throughout the War Worlds Army. Captain Brenner of the 12th Battalion leaned back in his command chair, relieved at their victory.

"Great job, captain!" Will smiled, patting him on the back. "We've got Greyfield on the run now!"

"God bless the Steel Diver." Andy, the hero of Cosmo Land, said as he came out from the engine room. Placing his signature wrench on his right shoulder, he leaned back on the engine room door. "I can't believe we took down Greyfield's whole fleet with just a few bikes and this sub."

"The war's not over yet." Olaf, commander of Blue Moon said grimly, smoothing out his fur-lined winter coat. His Russian Hat covered his eyes and his face was expressionless. "He still has another fleet inbound. We've got to prepare."

"Let's not focus in that now," said Brenner as he wiped a bit of perspiration from his brow. "Intel says it's a couple of days away, and we just won an impossible battle. Let's sit back and celebrate, shall we?"

"I agree." Grit, a tall Blue Moon CO agreed, popping a piece of gum into his mouth. His yellow trench coat and hat covered his black hair. As he spoke he scratched his goatee. "It's been a long day, and quite frankly I'm tired."

"You're always tired, Grit." Max, a huge muscular blue-haired man from Orange Star joked, elbowing him in the gut. Grit cringed in pain, half-laughing and half-crying.

"The submarine has surfaced," The plump Green Earth naval officer Drake announced, taking off his headset and looking at Brenner. "What are your orders, sir?"

The crew turned to look at their leader in expectation.

Brenner coughed, half-laughing. "Let's go check out our new territory."

.o0O0o.

"This used to be known as Smash Mansion, ya know," Grit said, looking over at Brenner as they patrolled the ruined halls of the mansion. Columns of marble were toppled over along the path. The walls that once upheld the glory of the mansion center were split in half, only a whisper of their former purpose. Half broken statues and long dead topiaries scattered about the ruins. "Hot battles, cool tech, and apparently some of the nicest living quarters you could ever imagine. Sounds like the place to be." He crossed his arms over the front of his yellow trench coat, solemnly chewing his gum.

"I always admired this place." Brenner agreed, putting his hands in the pockets of his time-worn Rubinelle uniform. "They seemed to have it made."

"Yeah." Grit looked to his right. "That right there was the dining hall. Still got that massive table. I'm surprised no one took 'er yet." The table, though split down the middle and covered in dirt and fragments of rock, was still an awe-inspiring reminder of what was once here.

"The true question is how would they get that out of there."

"True that." Grit walked towards the huge table, admiring the chandelier still hanging overhead. "After all the bombin', the missiles, the tanks, the mechs, and the grenades, you think that thing would've fallen down by now. I mean, look at that massive hole!" He pointed to the tank-sized hole in the wall.

"I guess." Brenner sighed. "This place reminds me of before Greyfield attacked."

"Oh..." Grit pulled up one of the rotted chairs scattered about the room, and sat down. "I was sleepin' in my tent near the Ice Mountain relaxin' when Captain Syrup attacked, but yer probably tired of that story. Do you mind reminiscing with me? I've never heard 'bout when Greyfield came to Smash City."

Brenner looked around for another chair, but settled for a sizable marble chunk instead. "Sure."

"Cool man." Grit leaned back in his chair. Instantly, the wooden chair exploded into splinters of wood, sending Grit flying to the floor. Brenner laughed as the man stumbled to get back up, trying to be inconspicuous.

"Don't mind me." Grit fumbled for words, trying to find his balance. "Just- just keep telling yer story."

"Alright then," Brenner chuckled. Then his expression got dark.

"I was one of the few men stationed at Smash City. It was the prime event of the decade, with Super Smash Bros Four coming out. Rubinelle told me to keep watch while the Smashers celebrated. Master Hand was paying Rubinelle a fortune for defense, and we knew it. I was just happy to be away from the war and stationed somewhere quaint and peaceful." He laced his fingers together, setting them beneath his chin, as he recalled the day. "Then Greyfield attacked out of the blue. He marched straight past our defenses and pushed my men down as if they were dominos. Even with my CO power, my strength wasn't great enough to fight back. The next thing I knew, Greyfield had destroyed Smash Mansion. He took the survivors captive and sold them to other villains. Then he created this hellhole. I met up with some of the other COs a bit later, and here we are..." Brenner heaved a sigh as he sat up properly. "And I'm sure you know the rest."

Grit stared at Brenner for a good minute, long enough to make the captain uncomfortable. Then he spoke.

"I'm sorry, what?" Grit shook his head. "I mighta spaced out. Can you repeat that?"

"..." Brenner sighed. "Really…"

"Hehe..." Grit scratched the back of his head. "Sorry."

"So..." The captain coughed.

"So..."

"Do you know how it's going on the western front?"

"Rachel's doing well." Grit said with another sigh. "More of a tanker, though."

"I'm just surprised that Nell died." Brenner noted. "She was as tough as nails."

"Yeah..." Grit flinched, as if Brenner had punched him in the face. "Always... Always thought she could make it through anything."

"To think, we have the greatest minds in all of Wars World fighting the same enemy, and we can't win because we don't have the manpower." Brenner shook his head. "More people like Nell die every day for the right thing, but their sacrifice isn't enough..." The captain looked up at the sky. "I hate this war. You know as well as I do that we're losing. No one's willing to help us..."

"Hey," Grit sat down next to the captain. "You've always said when there's life there's hope. We're still here. We can help. As long as there are good fellers like you and I in the world... well, I reckon we'll do just fine."

They sat in silence, lost in thought. Captain Brenner absentmindedly took out his ray gun, and began to polish it. He never wanted to be leader of the War Worlds Army. It had been a total accident. At first, he was just commanding until someone higher took over. However, it became apparent that after leading campaign after campaign, the higher authority never came to relieve him of his position. After one such mission during a particularly destructive battle, he had discovered that everyone of higher rank were dead. Nell had taken command, promoting Brenner to General of the Eastern Frontier before she died. Now he was head of everything: General of the Army. He hated that title. It was too flashy in his opinion, so he stuck with captain. It was suiting after all he had been through, especially with Greyfield.

After his world, Wars World, had ended due to meteor strikes destroying ninety-nine percent of the population, Brenner had set up the last survivors in Rubinelle, his home country, to the the 12th Battalion. Eventually, they stumbled upon Admiral Greyfield and his New Rubinelle Army. They had a shaky alliance; they had quarreled about things many times before, but eventually Brenner betrayed Greyfield after the admiral senselessly slaughtered the surrendering commander of Lazuria, their rival country. Making the ultimate sacrifice, Brenner had moved himself and a few brave souls to an abandoned city while the rest of the 12th Battalion fled. Greyfield, the madman that he was, destroyed his Medium Tank, and to everyone else Brenner died that day. Somehow, he had been able to make it home.

The event had taken its toll on him. Survivors regret had plagued him with numerous nightmares, and he had wanted to do nothing but spend his days at home, counting the shadows. How had he been the one to survive, when so many others had been lost? If it wasn't for the need to rebuild a sanctuary for the civilian survivors, he would have been lost to his own inner demons.

Will, his protégée and good friend, had rebuilt Rubinelle in his absence and Lyn, Brenner's close friend and second in command, had shot Greyfield at point-blank. After two years of peace, they discovered that their world was uninhabitable as more meteors began to strike. Reluctantly, they left, seeking refuge on the World of Trophies. Master Hand took pity on them and, with his immense power he rebuilt their continent so they could live peacefully. Eventually, the rest of the Wars World survivors sought refuge on the World of Trophies. That's when Brenner and his group met the other COs, the heroes of Cosmo and Omega Land. Quickly, they had become friends, and soon united into the country of Neo Rubinelle.

Then Greyfield somehow came back from the dead and ruined everything.

"There you guys are!" Max chucked, from a bit further up where Grit and Brenner were seated. From the crazy way that he walked, it was obvious that the bodybuilder was drunk. "Where have you been? It's a party over in the west wing! Olaf found the wine cellar," he said with a hiccup. "-And I found a-" He stopped, mouth gaping open.

"A what?" Grit turned to look at him. "Oh shucks..."

Looking down, Max's eyes opened in shock as a bullet ripped right through his chest. Falling to his knees, he lifted his head to look at Grit, then Brenner. "Well, not how I expected to go." His lids drooped, and he fell to the ground, dead.

"Max!" Grit shouted. He drew his weapon, prepared to defend himself if necessary.

Behind him was a vulpine, holding his gun where Max had once stood. Next to him, an Avian smiled, his hand on his own weapon. Brenner and Grit fell back, taking cover behind their rock.

"Star Fox. Shucks." Grit clenced his teeth. "I hate Star Fox."

"Greyfield wants you dead, Brenner." Fox called out in a sing-song voice. "And the rest of your resistance, too. Although I have to say, they didn't put up much of a fight."

"Hey, I was going to say that!" Falco grumbled, punching Fox in the shoulder.

"Well I just killed a man." Fox retorted with a glare. "I should get to say the awesome line."

"Sorry!" Falco held his hands up like it didn't matter. "I thought serving our mighty King Greyfield was equal opportunity employment with mutual benefits, but apparently we can't share evil lines."

"Why does it-" Fox put his face in his free hand. "Who cares? Let's kill these last two and get this over with."

"On the count of three, run." Brenner ordered Grit as the former Smashers bickered. "I'll cover you."

"No way man." Grit whispered back. "I'm a better aim than you. You run, and I'll cover yer ass."

"This isn't a time to argue!" Brenner said firmly. He whiped out his pocket knife and handed it to Grit. "Use this just in case. Get to the Steel Diver and get the hell out of here. Now run!"

Brenner pulled out his ray gun and started firing at Fox. He and Falco immediately took cover, and shot after him. Grit held onto his hat and ran as fast as he could as he tried to avoid the lasers.

"I already miss machine guns!" Grit complained, avoiding a shot. He dove into a massive crater and ducked down.

"That's right, run!" Fox screamed after Grit. "Whimp!"

"Really? Whimp?" Falco scolded the vulpine. "You could have said anything, and you call him a whimp? What are we, two years-old?"

"What do you think I should have said?" Fox shot back.

"Coward? Bastard? Anything else?"

"I'm sorry that we're all not quite the linguist you are. Now shut up so I can concentrate on killing this 'whimp' you all great and knowing 'bastard.'"

"Look at that, the hero of the Lylat System can't even multitask. Welcome to the twenty-first century Grandma!"

"God, even when you've been brainwashed you're a jerk."

As they quarreled, Brenner tried reloading, only to find himself out of ammo. Gathering his courage, he made a mad dash from the marble rock, to find cover in a safer spot. Fox sighed, watching him scramble away.

"I got this." He said, firing his gun at the captain. It missed, hitting the huge table.

"A baby could hit him!" Falco complained, shooting at Brenner without looking. The captain fell to the ground with a wound in his thigh.

"Well gee," Fox said sarcastically, "I guess I should be thankful."

"I hate you so much right now." Falco mumbled.

"You know it." Fox looked at Brenner and then the hole. "I'll take care of him; you go find the runaway."

"I shot him!" Falco whined. "I should kill him! You're just trying to get the glory!"

"Chain of command, sucker." Fox smirked. "Now hurry up."

"Chain of Demand is more like it," Falco mumbled, holstering his pistol and chasing after Grit. Fox whistled, holstering his own gun as he walked over to the writhing Brenner.

"Good bounty on your head, too," Fox whistled, pulling out his pocketknife. "Your whole crew, in fact. Got them all dead in my hold. And now to finish the collection." He now loomed over the captain's injured body, smiling like a madman. "Praise the glory of Greyfiel-"

Like a flash, Brenner leaped up, upper-cutting Fox in the face. Startled, the vulpine fell back, dropping his knife. Without hesitation, Brenner kicked the knife away before leaping on top of Fox.

"You're going to pay!" Brenner yelled, punching Fox repeatedly in the stomach. The vulpine howled in pain.

"Not before your head!" Fox kicked the captain back with his legs. The captain flew backwards, landing on his back.

"What does that even mean?" Brenner asked, coughing as he stood up.

"My bills." Fox explained nonchalantly. "You know, the bounty—screw this." He whipped out his pistol and fired. Brenner side-stepped, kicking the pistol out of Fox's hand with his bad leg. Both cried out in pain, but Fox was the first to recover, quickly preparing his Fire Fox.

"If I'm going to die, let's burn together!" Fox yelled, rushing at Brenner. The captain barely leaped out of the way, just getting singed by the flames.

"Damn it!" Brenner cried out, falling to the ground. Fox leaped forward in attempt to stomp the captain. Barely, Brenner rolled out of the way. Grabbing Fox's leg, he pulled it from under him. Fox fell in shock. Brenner tried punching him, but Fox reacted quickly, rolling out of the way.

"You're as good as they say." Fox grunted as they both stood up. Brenner eyed Fox's knife, lying in a rock pile.

"Ditto." Brenner said, slowly limping towards the knife. Fox had spotted it too.

"Thanks." Fox joked, wiping his bloody lip.

"You're welcom-" Brenner dove for the knife. Fox leaped forward, trying to grab it from him. Both captains tussled on the ground, desperately trying to grab it from each other. Quickly, Fox grabbed a rock and slammed it into Brenner's head. The captain screamed in pain, dropping the knife. Fox picked it up. With all of his strength, Fox tried to stab Brenner. The captain grabbed the vulpine's arm in a desperate attempt to stop him.

"Usually when I hit people with rocks they go unconscious!" Fox complained, pushing down as hard as he could.

"People do say I'm thick-headed." Brenner head-butted Fox, startling him. Quickly, he kicked his fellow captain off of him. Fox landed hard, groaning as his body made impact.

"Now what?" Brenner asked, standing up.

"I got a knife." Fox responded, getting up as well. Brenner grunted, picking up a leg of Grit's broken chair.

"No fair!" Fox said as he charged. "You have a club!"

"You had a gun!" Brenner retorted, blocking a knife stab. He countered with a blow to the head.

"Yeah, so did you!" said Fox, quickly recovering. He punched Brenner in the stomach, pushing him back. The captain had no time to recover as Fox used a meteor smash, sending him flying in the air. As he landed, Brenner dropped the club and started coughing. Slowly, he tried reaching toward his weapon.

"Not so fast!" Fox said with a smirk, kicking the captain square in the chest. Brenner cried out in intense pain, sliding across the floor straight into the leg of the table. Coughing, he tried getting up, but to no avail. His sternum was badly bruised.

"Got ya now, you dirty rat." Fox grinned, picking him up. Brenner had no chance as Fox threw him across the table. He groaned as he slid, knocking into the silverware and plates that were still on it. His body slid to a hault in the middle of the table, Fox jumped on top of the surface, and rushed over before Brenner could get up. Smiling, he grabbed him by the scruff of his jacket.

"This death is going to be painfully slow." Fox spat, holding his knife to the captain's face. "Any last words?"

Dazed, the captain could make out a giant gaping hole just beyond Fox's right shoulder. Squinting, he murmured "What the heck is that..."

Fox frowned. "What's that supposed to-"

Suddenly, there was a large explosion, sending dust and rocks flying everywhere. Fox gaped in horror, dropping Brenner. The captain grunted as he hit the table, eyes wide. Fox stared at Brenner with a look of pure hatred before falling down, dead. Two large bullet holes were buried in his back. Brenner quickly grabbed a butter knife from the table just to have something to defend himself. As he looked at the source of the bullets, he weakly held up the knife as he stared at a mysterious white figure. It was holding a giant brown sack, and as it hovered in place it started shaking. Finally, it spoke.

"I'm not going to lie, I was aiming for you," Crazy Hand said sheepishly "But hey, now we can carpool! I call shotgun!"

.o0O0o.

A man and an oversized hand awkwardly drove through the desolate Smash City in a red minivan. The city had been destroyed after the attack six years earlier. There was fire burning everywhere and cars that were broken down were left abandoned in the street. Buildings lay wasted around them, some even collapsed. Occasionally a sketchy thug could be seen patrolling the streets, looking for a harmless bystander to rob or a rival gang member to fight. Some brave souls remained in the City of Smash after the attack all those years ago. It was obvious that the city needed repairs, but Greyfield wasn't the helping type unless he was helping himself.

Luckily, the tinted windows prevented anyone from seeing them, but Brenner still felt uneasy next to the Hand of Destruction. After all, he was part of the same group who had ditched the universe for some unknown reason. Brenner wasn't angry at them, just disappointed. After all they did for him, rebuilding Rubinelle, saving the World from Tabuu, they just ditched everybody just like that... He didn't understand it at all. At least Crazy Hand let him drive; Captain Brenner wouldn't have trusted the Hand of Destruction to drive him anywhere.

Finally, Crazy said, "You fight foxes much, or is this a recent pastime? You should contact your doctor if symptoms last for more than four hours, you know."

"Umm... no." Brenner responded, tightening his grip on Fox's gun. He had taken it for defense, and it was useful that it happened to be of the variety that didn't run out of bullets.

"Cool." Crazy Hand patted a giant sack he had brought with him. "Just collecting old tokens. How's life? Where are your friends?"

"Fox killed them all." deadpanned Brenner, trying to keep focused on the road.

"Cool." Crazy Hand looked out the window. "I killed a man once. Just ten minutes ago. Take a right here."

"Okay." said Brenner.

"Why are you being so quiet? I mean, sure I tried to kill you, but hey, you're driving the Scrubby Goo Machine! And who doesn't want to drive the Scrubby Goo Machine?"

"It's Scooby Doo."

"What were you raised on?" Crazy Hand snorted. "Wait a time unit, are you angry because Master Hand and I ditched the city and left everyone to die a horrible and painful death, because I'll be honest, that wasn't my call. If it was up to me, we would have never left and everyone would still have to suffer a horrible and painful death together!"

"...Yes."

"Cool. OH WAIT! THAT'S MY STOP!"

"Argh!" Brenner made a hard u-turn, turning the car around. They now faced a mansion, guarded by a golden gate. Brenner had seen this old thing thousands of times, but he never took a particular interest in it. The manor stood in the center of Smash City. Old and decaying, it looked ominous even in the broad daylight. The dark unrecognizable paint was peeling off the house, trying in vain to escape the monstrosity of the shack. The holes in the roof revealed the rotten oak wood beams that hid behind it, supporting what little of the canopy remained. Planks of grey old wood stuck out of the house like sticks in a pile: jagged and broken and dangerous. Dark trees loomed around it, as if they were reaching hands, trying to grasp anything that passed by. Nonchalantly, Crazy Hand started whistling, getting out of the vehicle.

"I'll just open the gate and let you in." He said casually. Shooting a laser beam from his pointer finger, he cut open a van-shaped hole in the bars and got back in. "It's much nicer on the inside, I promise! It's like skinny jeans: once you're in them, it's impossible to leave…or so I've heard. I don't wear pants!"

"..." Brenner didn't know how to respond to that.

.o0O0o.

Surprisingly, Crazy was right. The spacious inside was absolutely astonishing. The walls and staircase were all polished oak with a warm dark brown finish. A massive crystal chandelier was in the foyer, illuminating the dark corners of the mansion with brilliant cut crystal, casting a delicate rainbow of color as it caught the light. Past the foyer, there was a bit of a step up to the main room, where a red, lush carpet had been placed beneath soft leather couches and an equally impressive coffee table. At the sight of it, Brenner dropped his bag, absolutely mesmerized by the beautiful manor.

"Master Hand created a force-field-hologram-voodoo-witchcraft thing around the place." Crazy explained. "It drives people away from it because it looks like Luigi's Mansion. In reality, it's in perfect condition. Just wait till you see my bidet!"

"Uh... No thanks?" Brenner guessed.

"Ahh... One second." Crazy Hand straightened himself. "MASTER HAND! I BROUGHT A GUEST!"

"Crazy, I told you to stop yelling so much." Master Hand's voice echoed throughout the manor.

"But my voice sounds much more ominous this way!" Crazy protested.

"And I told you- wait, a guest?" Master Hand rushed out of one of the upstairs doors. Age had treated him well, for he looked the same as always: white glove immaculate."What's the meaning of this?"

"I robbed the Smash Mansion!" Crazy said proudly.

"...What? Who's your friend? I swear we've met before."

"Captain Brenner of the Neo Rubinelle military sir." Brenner introduced himself, trying to be cautious. "I'm head of the Wars World Army."

"I'm Master Hand." The Hand of Creation needlessly introduced himself. Angrily, the hand turned towards his brother. "Crazy! What have I told you about bringing strangers to the mansion!"

"It's our safe house and no one else's." Crazy grumbled.

"What were you even doing outside the mansion anyway? I told you we can never leave!"

"But it's your birthday!" Crazy protested. "I had to get you something! And look, I got you some presents!" He held up the sack.

Then it hit Master Hand. "...Is it really that time of year?"

"Of course! I would never forget your birthday, bro." Crazy Hand opened his bag and started shuffling through. "Look what I got you! Here's some fancy wine I found!"

"We're hands, we can't drink wine." Master Hand pointed out.

"Well... I also got this rock!" Crazy Hand pulled out a piece of the former Smash Mansion wall.

"I appreciate the thought Crazy, but you risked our lives to just get some things we already have," Master Hand said bluntly. "I know it's my birthday, but I rather have my brother than some wine or some rocks.

Crazy Hand looked depressed. "I guess you don't want the silverware or the china or the Smasher trophies or the mussels or the shiny piece of glass or the-"

"Wait, what was that?"

"Mussels?" Crazy Hand looked excited. "I got a lot of those off the shore!"

"Still can't eat Cra- wait, no, I mean, did you say Smasher trophies?"

"Oh, just some junk I found in the wine cellar." Crazy Hand threw them out of his bag carelessly. "Who would want-"

"Crazy!" Master Hand leaped over the balcony and hugged his brother in a tight squeeze. "This is the greatest gift you could have ever given me!"

"Are those really-" asked Brenner, looking at the golden trophies in both fear and awe.

"Heavens to Betsy they are!" Master Hand cried out. "I take it all back Crazy! You're stupid idea worked! Thank you so much!"

Crazy was confused for a second, but then, puffing himself out, he said in a deep voice, "Of course I planned this! Happy birthday, to the greatest hand shaped bro in the universe!"

"Let's reactive them and see what happens!" Master Hand hit the base of the nearest trophy. The room was immediately lit up with a bright white light as it came to life.

The newly revived trophy stood there, gasping for air like a madman before collapsing. Quickly, Master Hand grabbed him. "He's suffering from oxygen loss! Crazy, open the medical ward!"

"I'm Onett! Get it?" Crazy joked.

"Crazy!"

"Right, save that man's life." Crazy rushed out of the room.

"Brenner, can you help me?" Master Hand asked as he dragged the Smasher towards the medical ward.

"I'll try." Brenner limped over to the body and grabbed his legs.

Then the Smasher woke up briefly, eyes in shock. Finally, he spoke.

"... Where the hell am I?" Dr. Mario wheezed, looking around. "And where's my flask?" Then he passed out.

* * *

"Sir." A voice echoed from the doorway into his boss's dark room. "Captain Brenner has been spotted."

"What are you waiting for then?" His boss responded. "Get him here now."

"Sir, he's been seen with Crazy Hand."

The mysterious man turned his chair around. "I don't care, see! You get him to me right now! No one crosses Al Pacone and gets away with it, understand me?! No one."

* * *

**A/N: Well there you go! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I would of had it out sooner if I would have checked my DocX inbox like a smart person does... I was a little worried that this chapter was a sudden jump, but I felt really satisfied after I finished writing the chapter. Anyone played Advance Wars before? The producers of AW are the ones coming out with Codename S.T.E.A.M. later this year, which I'm super excited for.**

**Also, sorry Star Fox fans.**

**And thank you for the kind review Guest #1! I always felt like Dr. Mario could have been a deeper character if he was just given a chance. Back in Melee (I say back in, but I still play it), I used to main the good ol' Doc, along with Captain Falcon. I plan to develop Greninja a little more next chapter, so hopefully you'll enjoy his development as well. Thanks for taking some time out of your busy day to review!**

**So, what will happen to our heroes? How did Greyfield manage to brainwash them? Is Grit okay? Who's this Al Pacone? Will Brenner be able to get back with his troops? And most importantly, will I get any sleep? Stay tuned folks!**

**Please, if you could, review. I want to know what direction I should take this story and if I'm doing well or not. Thanks for reading, and until next time, happy writings!**


	3. King Greyfield the Mighty

**A/N: You thought this was dead, didn't you? Huh? Huh?**

**Trust me, this story isn't going away for a while. I mean, sure, it might go on hiatus for a little bit as I write Seven Struck the Hour and The Falcon House, but I promise you this story is going to continue. To me, this is the story that if I could only write one, this would be it. That may be why chapters take so long: I want to get everything perfect. I even have a wonderful beta reader for this story!**

**For reference, the two Wii Fit Trainers are referred to as Jerry and Delilah, because male Wii Fit Trainer and female Wii Fit Trainer is way too much to type for my fingers on an iTouch.**

* * *

Chapter Three: King Greyfield the Mighty

* * *

_November 22, 2014_

_Day after Smash Banquet_

* * *

Much to his own surprise, Dr. Mario decided to stay at the Smash Mansion for a few days before going back to the grindstone. To be honest, he mainly did it because the Primids refused to let him leave, claiming it was because he was drunk (which in all fairness was true. They still didn't have a right to keep him there, if you asked him, though). The fighting wasn't scheduled to start untill next Monday, he reminded himself, so he decided to make the best of his captivity and just sit and relax.

Until the very next day shattered any hope of a peaceful afternoon.

It was about nine o'clock in the morning. Dr. Mario sat in the cafeteria, drinking his usual cup of coffee, and eating a bowl of oatmeal. His head still hurt from the hangover, but at least he was feeling relaxed after the other night. Captain Falcon was certainly a character sometimes. Greninja was just lucky that Dr. Mario happened to be there for him, or he could have been lying in the hospital wing.

Speaking of which, where was the medical bay? Everything in the new mansion was well… new. He didn't know where anything was. Since he had meticulously created the floor plans for the previous mansion, this new one seemed like an awkward jab in the ribs of what he once thought of as home. They had gotten rid of the dorm-style housing. Instead, there were individual rooms for each Smasher, which the doctor guessed was okay. It just felt lonely in that huge room.

He was watching Rosalina from afar as she talked with the other princesses. Every once in a while, she would take a sip of her water as if the plastic cup she was holding was actually a champagne glass. The doctor admired her. She was the independent sort, who had made her way in this crazy universe from nothing. Now she was the guardian of the galaxies. For once, he envied Mario for something he couldn't do: make friends. He clenched his spoon tightly, taking another bite of oatmeal.

"You've been staring at her for ten minutes now," Greninja whispered in his ear. Dr. Mario jumped at the sound of his voice.

"I am no relationship expert, but should you not-"

"Shut up!" Dr. Mario snapped. "And stop sneaking up on me! Who even gave you permission to sit with me anyway?"

"Doc," said Alph, waving his hands in front of the doctor's eyes, "we've been sitting with you for about fifteen minutes now and you haven't said a word."

"... Shut up." The doctor took a huge swig of coffee. "I don't need you guys interfering with my personal life."

"I believe it is our concern when you are driving us home." Greninja pointed out, taking a bite of Poké-Food. "Are we leaving today or tomorrow?"

Dr. Mario looked surprised. "I thought you guys were going to stay." They shook their heads.

"Overrated," Alph deadpanned.

"Not what I am looking for," Greninja agreed.

"Humph." Dr. Mario swallowed his bite of oatmeal. "I was planning to stay a few days, but whatever. I'll get my keys and we'll go after I'm don—"

"Attention everybody!" A voice boomed. They turned their heads around to see Mario standing on a table. At the sight of the original, Dr. Mario immediately frowned, crossing his arms. "Have-a any of you seen-a Master Hand?"

The room started murmuring in confusion.

"No..."

"I'm not sure..."

"I saw him leave last night, but I didn't see him this morning..."

Mario frowned, scratching his head. "Hmm... thanks for-a letting me know. Could you keep-a eye out for him? We have some-a paperwork to-a finish." He sat down next to Link and Pikachu.

"He's an overrated hand." growled Dr. Mario, stabbing his oatmeal violently. "Who cares? He's probably doing weird things in his office anyway."

"Strange things have been happening lately." Greninja noted. "Have you noticed the mysterious red clouds that have accumulated over the premises?"

"Hmm?" The doctor looked out the window. Dark red clouds covered the sky, swirling around in a dark vortex. "I'm sure that's normal."

"Wait a second, no it's not!" Alph exclaimed. "I live here too, you know!"

"Fine," Dr. Mario rolled his eyes, "it's not. Argh, you people! I can feel the good intentions and happiness rubbing off on me." He shuddered. "On second thought, maybe I should leave."

"You mean you feel at home?" Alph smiled.

"Quit it." Dr. Mario shoved him lightly. "I don't need your sass."

"He has gotten friendlier," Greninja noted, taking a sip of orange juice.

"Not you too!" The doctor groaned. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and threw it on his plate, much to the amusement of the others. "I've lost my appetite. I'll get my keys and we'll go."

"But you're not even half done!" Alph protested as he stood up.

"I look at it as half full." Dr. Mario retorted, walking away.

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

.o0O0o.

As Dr. Mario walked away, Alph sighed. He had known the doctor for almost seven years and not once did the doctor admit he was wrong. Based off of what Alph had seen, Dr. Mario was extremely proud. He would never surrender in any argument, even if it meant avoiding a physical fight. Alph admired his determination, but quite frankly he hated his macho behavior. Only if he could focus it towards more productive means...

In fact, it was Alph's respect for Dr. Mario that brought him here to Smash Mansion. Back in March, Master Hand had approached him privately about an opportunity of a lifetime: to become a Smasher. Alph was timid at first, mainly because he had hardly thrown a punch in his life. He had originally declined the offer, but in a strange turn of events Mario, the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom himself, approached him. The plumber explained that it wasn't mainly for Alph, it was for Olimar, which Alph already understood. But the real shocker was when Mario asked him to convince Dr. Mario to come back. Apparently they weren't on good terms after a certain "Christmas" incident, and after Mario had explained that how could he refuse? Alph considered the doctor to be his best friend, even if the clone bashed him around a lot. When Dr. Mario got serious (usually during a drunken stupor), he would tell Alph stories about he time he was a Smasher. And the laughs they had! The Koppaite wouldn't have made a second thought about those stupid stories if it wasn't for the fact that it was the only time Dr. Mario ever... well... smiled. Alph, from the bottom of his heart, wanted to make Dr. Mario feel happy again. The Smash Mansion seemed like a good way to do that, but...

Alph shot a nervous glance at Olimar, pushing away the remnants of last night's conversation. He didn't want to be anywhere in that dreadful memory and he didn't want to even think about Olimar right now. Turning towards Greninja to distract himself, he asked, "Where do you think Master Hand is?"

"No clue," Greninja said.. "I imagine he is in his office, but I guess even he has to rest sometimes."

"Mario sounded pretty nervous," said with a frown. "They would've found him by now if that was the case."

"I guess you are right." Greninja nodded. "But then again, we do not have to worry about him. I must get to packing my belongings, and I suggest you do the same." Greninja and Alph stood up. "I shall see you later, no?"

"Of course!" Alph extended his hand. "Nice meeting you."

Greninja stared awkwardly at Alph, then his hand, then back to Alph. "You... have very nice gloves…?" he walked off.

Alph sighed in disappointment. "Am I the only normal one around here?"

"Says the shortcake!" Captain Falcon smirked, purposely shoving Alph to the ground as he passed. King Dedede and Jerry exploded into laughter as Captain Falcon came gallivanting back to their table.

"Jerk..." Alph grumbled under his breath as he got back up. Captain Falcon started making faces at the Koppaite from afar, occasionally yelling "Shortcake!" or "Loser!"

"Real mature guys!" Alph yelled back at them. The bounty hunter made a face and started imitating Alph, which only caused the table to erupt in more laughter.

"Sorry." A voice said. Alph turned around and was surprised to see Mario standing behind him. "Their-a sense of humor is-a little... too-a much sometimes." The plumber cast a death glare at the bounty hunter, effectively shutting him up. Turning back to Alph, he smiled a genuine smile. "So where are-a you headed off too?"

"Umm..." Alph scratched his arm and looked away from the plumber. Honestly, he replied "I... I can't stay. I don't like it here."

"Oh..." Mario looked slightly disappointed. "I mean, it-a was only the first-a day! Can't you-a stay just-a little bit?"

Alph hesitated before continuing. "I can't, unfortunately. Dr. Mario's driving Greninja and me home today."

Mario flinched. "I guess-a it didn't go over well with the-a doctor."

"No..." Alph felt disappointed in himself. Master Hand and Mario had entrusted him to gain Dr. Mario's confidence and to give him the life he had always wanted, but instead he had only made things worse. Now even he wasn't staying. Looking up, he sighed. "I tried my best, I promise. But there's... there are too many loose ends here that we can't deal with. I'm sorry."

Mario looked distraught at this point, but he firmly held his tongue. "Oh... Well, I respect-a your decision. Do you mind if I-a walk you to your room?"

"Not at all." Alph gestured towards the door. As they walked, the astronaut said "Hey, while I have you here, what's 'L is Real 2401' mean? It's been floating around here and there, and I just wanted to clear it up."

"Oh, that's simple," Mario casually waved his hand in the air. "It's—"

"MEDIC!"

The doors of Smash Mansion burst open as Delilah ran inside, dragging two bodies. Frightened, Alph screamed, "DR. MARIO, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

.o0O0o.

Just as the doctor grabbed his belongings (which wasn't much to begin with), a scream ripped through the hallways, echoing in his ears.

"MEDIC!"

"Please tell me that's a game I'm hearing," Dr. Mario grumbled.

"DR. MARIO, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Damn it."

Running to the lobby with his medical kit in hand, he was shocked to see Ike and Diddy Kong on the floor with bullet wounds in their backs. Mario and Delilah were crouched nearby, both of them trying to stop the bleeding. Alph stood still in pure shock and judging by the green pallor of his face, he was getting queasy.

"What the hell happened?" Dr. Mario asked, sliding over and opening his medical kit.

"Didn't see them..." Ike wheezed. "In the trees... they had... guns..."

"Diddy Kong was trying to pull him back to the mansion, but he got hit as well." Delilah explained. "Luckily I was out for my jog when I saw them."

"Ook!" Diddy Kong added helpfully, breathing heavily.

"Where were-a they?" Mario asked Ike.

"Near... the forest that surrounds... surrounds the place." Ike groaned. "I hate guns! I miss swords!"

"Calm down!" Dr. Mario grumbled, patching him up. "I can't concentrate with all of the complaining!"

"I'll send-a couple of-a Smashers to check around." Mario said, standing up. "You take-a them to the infirmary."

"That would be great if I knew where that was," Dr. Mario shot him a look of hatred, agitation filling his voice. "But I somehow forgot the secrets of the universe in the past couple of seconds, so I'm going to need some directions."

"It's... by-a the door," Mario said with confusion. Turning to Delilah, he added "Wii, can-a you show him-a there?"

"No problem," She said, picking up Ike with ease. "You get Diddy."

"Thanks, I guess." Dr. Mario looked over at Alph. "Hey! Earth to flower boy! Shut your mouth, you're letting flies in." Alph looked dumbfounded by everything that was happening, but at the sound of the doctor's voice the Koppaite snapped back into reality. "Help me pick up Diddy Kong!" Dr. Mario barked, grabbing the chimp's arms. In a dream-like trance, the astronaut picked up the chimp's legs and lifted him off the ground. "Good. Hey plumber, I need someone to bring me a baseball bat, pronto."

"I'll send-a Luigi over to-a help," Mario promised.

"Oh gee, thanks." With that, the doctor left a confused Mario to stare after him as they carried Diddy away. Seriously, why was Dr. Mario so angry?

.o0O0o.

Greninja was in his room when he heard a knock on his door. Frowning, he opened the door to see Mario standing there.

"May I help you sir?" He asked, staring at the plumber.

"There's been-a an attack and I-a need a few of you guys-a to search around the premises undetected. And-a let's face it, you're-a ninja. But I see you're-a packing." Mario looked beyond his shoulder to see his suitcase.

"This place doesn't suit me," Greninja said flatly. "Too much idleness."

"I understand." Mario sighed. "I'll ask around for some-a volunteers."

A ping of sympathy hit Greninja. "I suppose I could help. If there is someone attacking us, then I am involved as well."

"Thank-a you. No one's willing to-a help around here." The plumber sighed, taking a seat on Greninja's bed. "I've asked-a almost everyone to-a lend me-a hand and no one's stepped-a up to the plate. Donkey Kong's-a doing it for his-a buddy, but..." Mario laced his fingers together and rested his head on his hands. "A couple of-a years ago, everyone would be-a crowding me to help. Now look. I'm getting help-a from someone who's-a quitting. Everyone's so-a caught up in-a themselves lately that they've-a forgotten what being-a Smasher's all-a about. Humph..."

"...I will be back." Greninja promised, moving towards the window and leaving the plumber to his thoughts.

"Where are-a you going?" Mario asked out of curiosity, not turning around. "The doors-a over here."

"They will see me coming a mile away." Greninja said, opening his window. "Trust me."

"Or you-a could just take the-a back door. You're-a going out the same-a way."

"... Oh sure, that too..."

.o0O0o.

For the most part, the forest was silent. As the ninja patrolled the trees, he felt a sense of tranquility pass over him. He listened to the rustling of the leaves and felt the autumn wind chill his skin. He felt relaxed amongst the treetops. The red storm was still a damper, but Greninja decided to appreciate the good things not just there and then, but in life.

And one of those good things happened to be the person he tried to assassinate not too long ago.

* * *

_September 10, 2013_

_Johto Region, Mt. Silver_

* * *

Storms were never easy on Mt. Silver, especially this blizzard. Frogadier was freezing as he climbed the final steps to the summit of the mountain. It had taken many days to fight through all of the wild Pokémon and navigate through the confusing mountain pass, but somehow the ninja managed to do it without so much as a bruise.

Then he saw him. Red. The infamous champion Red. Master Koga's words echoed in his mind, "Red is too powerful; we must take him out." That was the way of the Ninjas of the Night. Anyone who got too strong, who treated the balance of the universe, needed to be dealt with silently. They had been keeping watch upon the Pokémon universe ever since the Great Pokémon War three-thousand years ago and they had not failed in their mission.

That was, until today.

Frogadier didn't see what Koga was talking about. From behind, Red seemed like an ordinary boy. The champion was dressed in his red jacket and blue jeans, and his brown backpack was slung lazily from his shoulder. As he approached the trainer, he clenched a knife he had made out of ice, like Master Koga had taught him. Before he even got close, the trainer said, "Frogadier, why are you here?"

The Pokémon froze in place at the sound of his voice. "Don't act so surprised," Red said calmly. "I've been expecting Koga to send an assassin for many days now. I'm just surprised he chose you."

Frogadier looked astonished as Red turned around to face his assassin. His signature red cap covered his eyes, and he showed no signs of fear when he spoke. "Come, sit with me. We have much to discuss." Casually, Red walked over to the edge of the cliff and sat down. "And I know what you're thinking," The trainer spoke before the Pokémon could even move. "Don't even think about pushing me off. Just come and talk."

Frogadier didn't know what to do. Quite frankly, this had never happened before. Koga told of no code if they were discovered, especially if they just wanted talk. Cautiously, the Pokémon took a seat next to the champion.

"Lord Helix told me you were coming." Red explained as he stared into the rising sun over the wispy clouds that danced below them. "He has told me of your potential. You are to save the universe, Frogadier."

"Yeah, right, and Emboars will fly." Frogadier huffed in the Pokémon Language.

"Do not doubt me!" Red suddenly snapped, turning towards the Pokémon in rage. "Helix is everything!"

"How—" Frogadier looked shocked that Red could understand him. "Are you—"

Red relaxed, slightly chucking. "A trinket I picked up from Master Hand." He removed an earpiece from his ear and casually tossed it up and down. "It's called a Universal Translator. But Frogadier," he got quiet as he put the earpiece back, "you cannot assassinate me today or ever. Helix needs you."

"Who is this Helix?" Frogadier asked cautiously. Honestly, Red was either a complete psychopath or speaking the truth, but the champion's expression remained calm, as if he had nothing to hide.

"He will reveal himself to you in time, my friend." Red chuckled softly, his gaze unwavering from the sunrise. "But first..." He reached inside his backpack and handed the Pokémon an envelope. "Master Hand wants me to come back to Smash Brothers, but I can't. Not when the end is nigh. Helix told me that you must go in my place, Frogadier. You must tell Koga that you killed me." Before the ninja could even move, Red grabbed the knife from Frogadier's hand and slashed his own palm. The trainer smiled a chilled smile as he watched the blood seep from his palm. Using his bloody hand, he took off his signature hat and handed it to the Pokémon. "Take my blood and take my hat as proof of your victory. You will become a full-fledged member of the Ninjas of the Night and evolve into a Greninja. Then you must go to The World of Trophies and accept your destiny."

Red smiled, his calm expression changing to a demonic grim. He looked at the Pokémon. "I can tell you hate it. The killing. The assassinating. You weren't always like this. You used to be kind. Compassionate. Caring. Go to Smash Bros. Be the man you were, not who Koga wants you to be. Accept your destiny, as I have accepted mine." With that, Red jumped.

As in no joke, he jumped off the cliff.

* * *

Greninja was pulled from his musings as he heard a loud noise. Recalling his training, he silently moved towards the source. Through the trees, he could see armed men moving through the overgrowth. Quickly, he took cover in the thick branches and watched them in silence.

"Any sign of them?" One of the men called out. He was dressed in a tank top shirt and was carrying a machine gun.

"No sir." Another responded. "All clear."

"Wait a second." The other one stopped, signaling everybody else to do the same. "You guys are useless." He complained. "This is why I'm in the sky and you're down here. I can clearly see one right there." He gestured directly towards Greninja, frightening the Pokémon. As he prepared to leap away, the man spoke.

"Now hold on. I'm not here to fight. Name's Waylon. Admiral Greyfield wants to talk with your leader, that's all. That earlier mishap was an accident. Well, a 'prelude' is probably more correct, but anyway, run home to your master and complain. Tell him to meet Greyfield by The Graveyard alone and unarmed. Get it?" He laughed loudly at his own joke. "It's 'cuz he's a hand?"

No response.

"Come on, that was funny! Anyway, scram, before I wipe your brains across this road here and now." His remaining infantry held up their guns, backing up the threat. Reluctantly, Greninja obeyed.

.o0O0o.

"I'm-a here, doctor." Luigi trembled, holding one of the new felt bats.

"Good." Dr. Mario and Delilah were desperately trying to keep Ike down as he writhed in pain. The restraints hung broken at the side of the bed. Alph was sitting in a corner, looking dazed. "Trade me places." Dr. Mario ordered.

"Umm... I'm not good with-a blood." Luigi flinched, dropping the bat and carefully holding the warrior down.

"So is Alph apparently." The doctor gestured towards the dazed astronaut as he grabbed the bat. "Don't worry, it'll be over quickly."

"What are you—"

Dr. Mario activated his Meteor Smash, hitting Ike square in the chest. Luigi screamed in horror as Ike fell unconscious.

"WHHAAAAA!" Luigi screamed, holding his face. Alph stood up in shock.

"What the heck was that?!" The Koppaite screamed. "Isn't there enough violence going around?!"

"Calm down!" Dr. Mario grumbled, walking over to Diddy Kong. The monkey was thrashing about in a state of panic, after witnessing what happened to Ike, but the restraints held him down. "This is the World of Trophies. Now that I've removed the bullets from him he'll repair himself automatically once he's done…trophify-ing or whatever it's called. Just wait and activate his trophy after I'm done with Diddy."

The doctor was right. After a second, Ike turned into a trophy. Finishing off the chimp, the doctor hit the base of Diddy's trophy, signaling Luigi to do the same.

There was a light ping as the two trophies reactivated.

"Ugh." Ike groaned as he came to. "I never want to be treated by you again."

"I'll agree to that." Dr. Mario nodded rudely. "You need to get some rest. Your body can only regenerate so much damage per day. You too, Diddy."

"What was that?" asked Alph, staring in awe.

"The Universal Force." replied Dr. Mario casually.

"The what?"

"Do I have to explain everything around here?" Dr. Mario grumbled, rolling his eyes. "The Universal Force is a bunch of bull made up by Master Hand to keep everything in balance. Pretty much, it keeps us from totally dying every time we engage in Smash. That's why when we're beaten to a pulp we turn into trophies: the Universal Force uses the trophification process to heal our wounds. It's a great way for doctors here to manipulate the system."

"That's a little overkill, don't you think?" Alph frowned.

"It's either that, or death," Dr. Mario said with a shrug. "Not to mention it makes my job a thousand times easier. If you want to die so badly, destroy the trophy after you've KO'ed someone. That'll kill them."

"Umm... Dr. Mario?" Luigi scratched his head, looking down.

"Yes Luigi?" Dr. Mario started packing his medical kit.

"I have-a question... Do... Does... Umm..."

"Spit it out, I don't have all day. One lecture's enough."

"Well... do-"

"ATTENTION ALL-A SMASHERS: MEET ME IN THE-A DINING HALL FOR-A MANDATORY MEETING!" Mario's voice boomed over the intercom.

"And here we go..." Dr. Mario groaned, taking the bat with him. Luigi was left to stare after the clone of his brother, regretting not asking his question.

.o0O0o.

"I couldn't see much," Greninja said, his voice shaking a little as he relayed what he had just seen. Dr. Mario had just entered the room. "However, they demanded an audience with Master Hand, and threatened me multiple times."

Everyone else started murmuring.

"Who's Greyfield?"Zelda said looking over at Samus.

"Where's Master Hand?" Robin said to Charizard who didn't seem to be paying that much attention.

"They're going to kill us all and there's nothing we can do!"

"Dear Arceus… man up, King Dedede."

"Idiots... You're all a bunch of idiots." Dr. Mario grumbled. "HEY!" He yelled loudly.

The room stopped, dead.

"Good." Dr. Mario walked to his seat at the table. "Let's quit acting like babies and come up with a plan. Since it's pretty obvious Master Hand has ditched us, how about instead of panicking like a bunch of excited children we actually come up with a plan? First off, who in the hell is Greyfield? Anyone?"

The room remained silent.

"Have you tried your mobile phones?"

"Oh, of course."

"Why didn't I think of that? I have one of those."

"FALCON FLIP!"

"You still have a flip-phone?"

Ness was the first to beat everyone to the punch. "Admiral Greyfield: leader of the New Rubinelle Army and CO of— hey, what?"

"What is-a it?" Mario asked, leaning over the table.

"My phone just shut down." Ness said. "I can't get it to come back on for the life of me."

"Same with me."

"Ditto!"

"Wait, was that a Pokémon?"

"Well, thanks for the help everybody." Dr. Mario glowered. "That was so helpful."

"What's wrong with you?" Samus said with a grunt."You've been in a real pissy mood lately."

"I'm sorry." Dr. Mario said with a fake smile. "But I don't need advice from a robot."

"I didn't say anything," Mega Man said, mild irritation in his voice.

"No, I meant— ugh, look. Master Hand's not here, so someone has to go out there, and there's no way that's me." Dr. Mario said firmly.

"Wait, are we actually meeting their demands?!" Link gasped.

"Yeah, so?" Dr. Mario snorted.

"We're Smashers! We don't negotiate with terrorists!" A murmur of agreement echoed throughout the room.

"No dip!" Dr. Mario gesticulated. "That's why I'm not going out there!"

"I'll-a go." Mario volunteered. "I took-a over while Master Hand-a was recovering a while back. I'm-a the next best thing."

"And so modest too!" Dr. Mario grumbled under his breath.

"We can't-a just send you-a alone though!" Luigi protested, trying to help his brother. "We need-a someone—"

"Ah, we're Smashers!" Captain Falcon scoffed, slamming his fist against the table. "There's no chance in hell that these guys can deal with Mario! Let's risk one life instead of our own!" The table murmured in agreement, much to the surprise of Dr. Mario, Mario, and Luigi.

"You have got to be kidding me!" said Dr. Mario "That's one man verses an army! He'll be slaught— on second thought, who cares?!" He looked at everybody else. "Meeting adjourned, screw the rest of you, where do we keep the wine?" Everybody stared in silence as he left. It was almost a full minute before anyone spoke.

"What a complete and total asshole," Ganondorf said.

"Here here," agreed Zelda. "And that's in comparison to you."

"I know, right?"

"Ditto!"

"Someone please get that thing out of here."

.o0O0o.

Out of all the places to pick, Mario understood choosing The Graveyard. It was a strategic point overlooking Smash City, not to mention a well-defendable point due to the fact it was built on a cliff. But there was no chance you'd find Mario here by his own free will. Overall, it was a creepy place, especially with the red storm overhead. Darkness loomed over everything like a blanket, covering the place in shadows. Gravestones protruded from the earth like stone pikes, reaching up, beckoning trespassers to imagine their own immortality. In the background, Mario heard the booming sound of gunfire and artillery echoing throughout the forest.

As he approached the encampment, he could see about fifty yellow tents scattered across the rocky soil in a strange pattern. Mario assumed this had something to do with the fact that space was limited on the hilltop. Near the center, a large tent towered over the field. Light poured from the flap that served as the door. Two armed men stood still, staring out over the forest.

Cautiously, Mario stepped out of the forest. Immediately, the two guards at the front of the large tent rushed over and grabbed him by his arms. Mario could only struggle as they dragging him towards the giant tent.

Stopping at the flap, one of the guards called out, "Sir, someone is here to see you."

"Is it a giant floating hand?" A gruff deep voice asked from inside.

"No sir, I believe it's Mario."

"Well, he'll have to do then. Send him in."

Immediately, the plumber was thrown roughly inside the tent. The tarp shelter was enormous and extravagant; the floor was an intricate purple rug and the ceiling had a chandelier hanging from it; Mario doubted that it was even possible beforehand. On a table to his right lay what looked to be a map of the... World of Trophies?! The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom gulped, terrified of what was to come. Sitting down across from the admiral, Mario stared at the man. He was eating a steak, chewing loudly and obnoxiously like a warthog. Finally, he spoke.

"Where's your Master, plumber?"

"He's away for-a private matters." Mario lied, watching him take another bite of steak.

"Delicious." Greyfield smiled, cutting another slice. "Want a piece?" He held up a piece of meat dangling on the edge of his fork, dripping with fat and blood.

"No-a thank you." The plumber said, shaking his head in disgust.

"Your loss." Greyfield took another bite. "This is absolutely splendid. You," he motioned to his guard, "send compliments to my chef."

"Yes sir!" The guard ran off.

"Excuse-a me." Mario interrupted. "But what is-a this about?"

"Ah, yes." Greyfield dabbed his mouth with his napkin and set his fork down. "First things first, what is your impression of me?"

Mario swallowed. It was kind of an odd opening question, and it took him off guard. He stared at the Admiral, assessing him, but also keeping in mind that it was probably best to give a political answer. He was tall and stocky caucasian man, wearing a purple admiral's uniform, which was decorated with plenty of medals. His beady eyes tore into Mario's as the admiral sized his opponent up too. His gargantuan hands were clenched into fists, as if he could leap out and pummel the plumber at any moment. Mario politely nodded. "Good."

"Good?" The Admiral took off his hat and placed it on the table. Scratching his dark, but graying mustache, he frowned. "First impressions are everything."

"Why did you-a attack us?" Mario said, trying to get to the heart of the issue.

"FORMALITIES!" Greyfield shouted. Then, strangely, he chuckled. "I'm sorry. I forgot you are unaware of the New Rubinelle Rules of War. Everyone will know it in time."

Mario cast a suspicious glance at the Admiral. "What-a you mean?"

"Oh, screw them for now." Greyfield put his hat back on his aging brown hair. "Let me be blunt: as of this day, November 22, 2014, I, King Greyfield the Mighty, new ruler of Smash City and all of its inhabitants, declare that the Smashers are a threat to society and must be recommissioned in my glorious image. As of now, my comrades are attacking every major city in the World of Trophies, in an attempt to bring you all down. Unfortunately for you, everyone else wants you dead, Mario. But I am here with an ultimatum." Greyfield motioned towards another guard. The man nodded, bringing in a strange looking helmet. "This is what Dr. Wily calls the 'Reformer.' It takes your true evil nature and turns it against you. It will destroy you from the inside out. And it will win." Greyfield laughed. "You either surrender now and face eternal servitude, or we destroy the mansion and all of its inhabitants with this device."

"I won't-a let this happen!" Mario lunged forward, trying to grab the device. Greyfield grabbed his steak knife and stabbed the plumber's hand. Mario cried out in pain, but Greyfield held the knife firmly.

"I see that's your response." The Admiral smiled a horrendous toothy smile. To his guard, he said, "Order Waylon to fire at will."

"Yes sir!" The guard said before running off.

Turning back to Mario, he smiled as he placed the Reformer on Mario's head. "It looks like you're my first test subject. Now, prove yourself worthy of my glorious leadership."

* * *

Meanwhile, Greninja followed Dr. Mario to the wine cellar, stopping just at the entrance.

"What is wrong with you, my friend? You are being a complete and total as— er… jerk to everyone."

Dr. Mario was sitting in a corner, depression plainly on his face. His eyes drooped from exhaustion, and his face was filled with regret. His head was resting on the baseball bat as he contemplated.

"You want to know what's wrong? I screwed up, that's what. I screwed up my life. I screwed up everything. No one likes me, I'm a drunk, and I can't even do a surgery without getting distracted. I once left a man on the surgery table to get a new phone. On the table! And the worst part is I sued him. And won! I'm not even sure who I am anymore."

"Are... are you crying?"

"Maybe." The doctor sniffled.

"Look, I am positive that was just a dumb mistake when you were younger-"

"That was last week."

"I… do not know how to respond to that." Greninja took a seat next to him. He patted the doctor's back in an awkward attempt to comfort him. "Just look at the positive side: you have got me."

"I don't even understand that!" Dr. Mario raged, shrugging Greninja's hand off of him. "How can a Smasher like you like a pathetic punk like me?"

"Because I have been there." Greninja said quietly. "We forget constantly that we are surrounded by people who have dealt with similar problems that we have. I was worse than you, my friend." He stared off into space. "I was no more than an ordinary street criminal before Koga took me in. I ran away from someone who loved me deeply before that, and to this day I regret my rash decision. I am ashamed of my past, but the difference between you and me is that I have had time to learn. You have not. Be patient, my friend."

"I've been patient for six years now," Dr. Mario snapped, grabbing a wine bottle. "I don't think I can be more patient that I am right now."

"You underestimate the workings of the world, my friend." Greninja said, looking back at the doctor. "The universe has defining moments. You will have your chance."

"When was yours?" Dr. Mario sighed, barely paying attention as he opened the bottle.

Greninja grew solemn. "Unfortunately for me, I chose poorly. But at least others can learn from my mistakes."

"Hey guys?" The two Smashers turned around to see Alph standing in the doorway. "What are you— it's a wine cellar, isn't it?"

"You bet." smiled Dr. Mario through his tears before starting the bottle. He drank almost all of it in one gulp, but eventually the burning sensation building in the back of his throat stopped him from finishing.

"I would ask for a swig, but this stupid helmet prevents me." Alph sighed, taking a seat next to him.

"I never imagined you as an alcoholic." Greninja noted.

"I'm not. I'm just bummed out." Alph sighed.

Dr. Mario burped. "I'm just glad that I'm not alo—"

He stopped as a huge boom echoed throughout the manor. The three Smasher's exchanged glances, not sure what had happened.

"What was that?" Alph finally said, getting up.

"Clearly I know." Dr. Mario snapped as he made his way towards the door. "What the— I can't get it open! It's stuck!"

"Let me try." Greninja offered, grabbing the doorknob and pushing as hard as he could. "The doctor is correct, I cannot seem to open it either."

They flinched as another boom was heard overhead.

"Are we under attack?" Alph panicked, trying in vain to push the door open. "Oh God, I hope everybody's okay..." Desperately, he added, "HELP!"

"Don't waste your air, kid." barked Dr. Mario, trying to think. "We're barricaded in down here."

"Oh God!" Alph screamed, banging on the door some more. "HELP! HELP! HELP!"

"Ditto!"

"Damn it..."

* * *

**A/N: So there you go! What will happen to our heroes? Well, we know what happens, but how? Will Mario be okay? Who's Al Pacone? Where's Master Hand? Will Dr. Mario and Co. get Greyfield? What's up with Red and Lord Helix? And most importantly, when will I update this story? Find out next time!**

**As usual, please leave a review. Or don't. Chances are you're a human individual with their own free will and you can exist happily without ever leaving a review. But it's the thought that counts, and it really means a lot to authors. That's my shameless pitch :P**

** Thanks for reading, and stay tuned folks!**

* * *

_Guest Responce Corner_

_Le Guest (Loved the name, BTW): Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoy it so far! I hope the plot is original because it would really suck if I found out that I ripped off someone! Ironically, Dr. Mario's cynicism is based off of another story I had originally planned! In another archive._

_On another site. (FictionPress)_

_But when I came up with the idea of this story, I realized that Dr. Mario probably had feelings about Mario, being his clone and all. So in a word, Dr. Mario's grumpy behavior is one of my favorite things to write about in this story, and it's a lot of fun as well! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, and I hope you stay tuned! Thanks for reviewing, and have a nice day!_


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